Comparison of 3 Methods for Measuring Gastric Tube Length in Newborns: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Adv Neonatal Care
; 23(3): E79-E86, 2023 Jun 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36806055
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Incorrectly positioned gastric tubes occur in approximately 60% of infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), increasing the risk of potentially serious complications.PURPOSE:
To compare 3 methods of determining gastric tube insertion length in infants in the NICU.METHODS:
In this randomized triple-blind clinical trial, 179 infants admitted to the NICU were randomized to have their gastric tube insertion length determined by 1 of 3methods:
(1) the nose, earlobe, mid-umbilicus (NEMU) method, (2) a weight-based method, or (3) an age-related height-based (ARHB) method. Positioning of the gastric tube was verified by radiograph. R software was used for analyses. To compare categorical variables, Fisher's exact test, χ 2 tests, and simulated χ 2 tests were used.RESULTS:
Overall, infants had a mean gestational age of 35 weeks, 115 (58.8%) were male, and the mean birth weight was 2481.5 g. Upon radiological assessment, 145 gastric tubes (81.3%) were correctly positioned in the gastric body or greater curvature of the stomach with the weight-based method having the highest percentage of correctly positioned gastric tubes (n = 53; 36.6%), followed by the ARHB method (n = 47; 32.4%) and the NEMU method (n = 45; 31.0%). No significant differences were identified between groups ( P = .128). IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH Despite the NEMU method being the most commonly used method in clinical practice, the weight-based and ARHB methods to determine gastric tube insertion length may be more accurate.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Nutrição Enteral
/
Intubação Gastrointestinal
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
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Diagnostic_studies
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Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Female
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
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Newborn
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article